


Lessons In Love

by yourcrookedheart



Category: The Magicians (TV)
Genre: Alice Quinn's Praise Kink, F/F, Getting Together, Karaoke, Multi, Threesome - F/F/M, Wingman Eliot Waugh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:20:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23613685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourcrookedheart/pseuds/yourcrookedheart
Summary: Alice is forced to reconsider her friendship with Kady after Eliot decides to meddle. But Eliot may be taking his duties as a wingman a little too seriously, and everyone knows what happens to best laid plans...(They end in threesomes. Sexy, sexy threesomes.)
Relationships: Kady Orloff-Diaz/Alice Quinn, Kady Orloff-Diaz/Alice Quinn/Eliot Waugh
Comments: 28
Kudos: 26





	Lessons In Love

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Easter! I think we can all use something uplifting and sexy at the moment. Therefore, have some happy threesome times inspired by 5x12.
> 
> Sidenote just to be safe: this isn't a discourse post, but in case it isn't clear from the tags, I personally read Eliot as occasionally being attracted to women. I know this is a topic some people take to heart, so please skip if that's going to upset you.

The day after they manage to steal the World Seed from the Nave Hotel is one of those bright autumn days where it might almost still be summer. Everything is sunlit and golden and brimming with possibility, so bright that even the looming threat of the Dark King can’t quite ruin the specific feeling of giddiness that comes with success. Alice barely slept a wink last night, but for once it wasn’t bad memories keeping her up. This one night, it was music and laughter and the feeling of her friends’ hands in hers, keeping her tethered to the moment.

It’s still early when the smell of food lures Alice to the kitchen. The source is immediately evident—the only one in the kitchen is Kady, already dressed in a navy blazer that means business. She’s humming along to the radio, Billy Joel crooning about an uptown girl, and doesn’t look up until Alice peeks over her shoulder to inhale the scent of sizzling bacon.

“Patience,” Kady says, using the wooden spoon she’s been stirring scrambled eggs with to pry Alice’s fingers off the counter. When that doesn’t work, she hip-checks her so Alice has no choice but to lean against the kitchen isle and watch as Kady prepares breakfast.

The music is infectious and soon enough both of them are singing along, Kady at full volume with her rich voice, Alice tapping her nails against the tabletop and occasionally allowing her own voice to harmonize with Kady’s.

“I thought we were done with the singing?”

Alice looks back to find Eliot leaning onto the other side of the kitchen isle. Shirt undone, his hair damp and in a stage between waking up and step five of his usual routine. For a moment Alice is surprised to see him up and about without Margo, before she realizes Margo must be rooming with Josh. The thought of those two as a couple still baffles Alice, but she can’t deny it’s nice to see her friends happy.

“No magic, this is my eight AM karaoke moment. Put up or shut up, Eliot.” Kady points the wooden spoon at him in warning, then returns to cooking.

Incredibly, Eliot actually shuts up. By the time the music segues into the Backstreet Boys, three voices are blending together over the sound of the traffic below. Shamelessly singing along to the Backstreet Boys is not something Alice would’ve expected from Kady, but it turns out she knows every single line, swaying along as she puts the bacon and eggs on plates and pops slices of bread into the toaster.

“How is your hand?” Kady asks once they’ve all seated themselves and started devouring Kady’s delicious breakfast. Her eyes have that concerned tilt to them that used to make Alice uncomfortable but is now starting to get used to.

“Managing. I’ve been trying to alter a few spells so I’ll be able to cast them one-handed.”

Kady’s hand brushes hers, real fingers against ghost ones. “We’ll figure something out, alright? And I’m here if you need help.”

“I know,” Alice says, feeling gratitude spread through her body like a sip of hot coffee. It’s been so long since Alice has had friends who express their affection and concern as freely as Kady does. Sometimes it’s still too much. Other times, such as now, it’s exactly what she needs.

“Anything you need,” Kady repeats. Alice is glad her ghost fingers can still sense the soft tap of Kady’s finger pads. Losing her full magic abilities is bad enough, she wouldn’t want to miss this too.

For the next twenty minutes, breakfast is just Alice, Kady and Eliot, talking about nothing in particular. It’s a blissful morning in which there is no apocalypse, no Fillory, no Library. Instead they share stories of their adolescence—heavily redacted Alice suspects, by all three of them. Kady lights up when she talks about the first concert she snuck into, a band called Black Veil Brides that Alice has never heard of and Kady subsequently insists on sharing through the speakers, until both Eliot and Alice threaten to walk out. Kady and Eliot find common ground when it comes to musical theater, though they disagree on the cultural significance of _Anything Goes._ And at some point, Alice finds herself talking about the movies she and Charlie would watch, the goriest horror and the zaniest comedies that even their parents wouldn’t approve of.

Twenty minutes of pretending they could be any group of twenty-somethings trying to make it in New York City, sharing eggs and bacon and sweet pastries before work. When Kady laughs, head thrown back and body shaking, Alice realizes the sound is foreign to her—that she’s never heard Kady laugh so freely and without a hint of irony.

All good things must come to an end, though, and breakfast ends by Kady’s phone ringing. She glances at it, wiping powdered sugar onto her dark jeans. “Shit, I’ve gotta go. I'm already late for a meeting with Pete.” She pauses in the process of shrugging on her jacket to look at Alice. “This was nice. We’re still on for dinner tonight?”

Her red lips stretch into a grin when Alice answers with a nod. She then dashes out, phone to her ear.

The warm feeling of community remains, but the spell has been broken. Kady’s absence leaves Alice and Eliot sitting in silence at the kitchen island, picking at the remnants of food. When Alice finally looks up, Eliot is staring at her over the rim of his coffee cup. He arches an eyebrow as if he’s waiting for her to speak.

When Alice doesn’t, he inclines his head towards the hallway. “Since when is this a thing?” he asks.

Confused, Alice glances between him and the door. “Breakfast has always been _a thing_ , Eliot.”

He gives her a level look as she takes another bite of her Danish. As if she’s the one who isn’t making sense here. “You and Kady.”

His answer explains exactly nothing. At her nonplussed stare, he sets his cup down on the tabletop and leans forward onto his forearms, crossing the distance between them as if he's about to impart a bit of juicy gossip.

“I mean the stifling sexual tension between you two.”

Alice chokes on the powdered sugar covering her pastry. It takes her at least a minute to cool down, by which time she's wiping tears from her eyes. The minute she's gathered herself, she directs a glare at Eliot's smug face. “Excuse me?” she carefully asks.

“I know you heard me this time. I take it you haven't actually ducked beneath the covers with our favorite hedge-witch in charge yet, then?”

“No!” Alice exclaims. Her voice sounds high and nervous even to her own ears. Then, because she feels she's rapidly losing ground in this conversation, she adds: “Mind your own damn business, Eliot.”

He waves his hand. “Oh, my business is awfully boring at the moment. The last guy I tried to sleep with is currently en route to destroying Fillory _and_ Earth, so. You see why I have to vicariously live through other people's romantic escapades.”

“Except there are no romantic escapades in my future either. Can't you go and, I don't know, play matchmaker for Julia and Penny?”

Eliot shrugs nonchalantly. “Too straight. They'll figure it out. You, however, are apparently _not_ going to figure it out unless I meddle. And that would just be a shame.” He raises his coffee cup and tips it towards her, then downs it as if it's Scotch. Knowing Eliot, it may very well be. “You're welcome,” he says.

Oh for the love of god. This is just typical Eliot. Alice already regrets befriending him.

Well, that’s not entirely true. She likes being Eliot’s friend for the same reasons she likes being Kady’s—because it feels like being chosen. Allowed access to a world that has always escaped Alice: friendship, mystery, the company of those who are never without an exciting story to tell. She likes seeing Kady’s eyes soften when she worries about Alice’s wellbeing the same way she likes seeing the warmth beneath Eliot’s sardonic smiles, and the genuine smiles he usually guards.

Which doesn’t mean she wants Eliot involved in her private business.

“There’s nothing to meddle in,” she says.

He raises another eyebrow. This time, she raises her own in return.

Eliot is the first to relent. “Oh my god,” he sighs as he leans forward again, taking her hands between his. “Alice, take it from me, that woman is trying to flirt with you.”

“Please,” Alice says, resisting the urge to draw her hand back and retreat into her room. “We’re friends.”

“Friends who want to jump each other’s bones. It happens.”

He pats her hand for good measure, at which point she’s really had enough. She takes her hands out from under his and picks up the rest of her pastry, careful to brush off the excess powdered sugar. “Get a hobby, Eliot,” she says, ignoring the knowing smirk he doesn’t even _try_ to suppress.

*

After that, Alice figures that’s the end of it. It’s her own mistake, she realizes. Of course Eliot would never give up on something like this, not when he knows he’s right.

 _Thinks_ he’s right.

Or, well.

The thing is, the more Alice looks back on her friendship with Kady, the less it starts to look like a friendship. She’s always admired Kady, in more ways than one, and for a while maybe she could kid herself that it was purely aesthetic appreciation. Kady is objectively hot, whatever, anyone with eyes can see that. Plenty of people are hot, that doesn’t mean Alice wants to sleep with them.

The point being that Kady isn’t exactly Alice’s type. Too brash, too distant, too dominating. Too female for Alice’s theoretical interest in the same sex, though the ‘theoretical’ part at least is up for revision.

But then she got to know the real Kady, and none of those things seemed to matter anymore. Brash, distant, dominating—of course she is all of those things, and more. But behind that is the woman who spoke to Alice when not even Quentin would, who never treated her as if she was dangerous, or fragile, and who has made sure Alice knows there is at least one person in this apartment she can always count on, no matter what lies in her past.

All of that, Alice knew before Eliot decided he needed a project and started making pointed comments every time Alice and Kady end up in the same room. But she may have missed the part where Kady was flirting with her.

And once she’s noticed that, she can’t unsee it. The accidental touches that aren’t so accidental at all. The private smiles, like a coded language only the two of them know. The subtly suggestive jokes that now bring a blush to Alice’s cheeks.

Suddenly everything Kady does is endlessly fascinating and makes Alice’s blood sing in her veins. Alice can’t even remember the last time she had sex, can’t really remember the last time she actually wanted it.

Now, with Kady always just within her reach, touching, smiling, teasing—now, Alice wants it.

There’s only one problem, which is that it’s been a while since Alice has done the whole dating scene, and she’s certainly never done it with a woman. Perhaps different rules apply here, and she’s supposed to signal her interest in some way? Men tend to take everything as interest, and so Alice has only ever had to say no or say nothing at all.

It’s all very bewildering, and the library is of little use in this instance. Which only leaves one option—the worst one of all.

*

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” Eliot asks. He’s lounging on the sofa with some glossy high-end fashion magazine, his head thrown back against the cushions. With his long limbs all stretched out he takes up nearly the entirety of the couch, so Alice has to sit on the coffee table in front of him.

“You heard what I said.”

He shakes his head, frowning. “Hm, no, I forgot.”

Strangling him would defeat the purpose, Alice reminds herself. Lowering her voice in case someone walks in, she says: “You said Kady was flirting with me. And you said you wanted to help me out. So help me out.”

Very slowly, Eliot lowers his magazine, then swings his legs onto the carpet. He mirrors her posture, leaning his elbows onto his knees, and smiles. “First of all.” He reaches out to put his hand on her knee, fingertips brushing the edge of her skirt. “I am so proud of you.”

“If you’re just going to make fun—”

“I’m not,” Eliot says. Alice pauses and looks at him. “I’m not,” he promises again, his smile softening as he briefly tightens the hand on her knee. “Your bisexual awakening is very serious business to me.”

He’s genuine enough that Alice is willing to believe it, so she allows herself to slump forward a little as she says: “Okay, so, what do I do? Do I just—go for it? Talk to her? Ask her out?”

“Alright, slow down. There’s not gonna be a pop quiz.” He pulls her forward and onto the couch next to him, ready to impart his wisdom.

Which is when Kady walks in, carrying a bag that smells like the delicious tapas place around the corner.

“I am _starving_ , Jesus Christ,” she says, dropping the bags onto the coffee table and collapsing against the couch next to Alice. Her legs spread just wide enough that one jeans-clad thigh brushes against Alice’s, and Alice feels her spine stiffen in response.

“Rough day?” she manages to ask. On her other side, Eliot presses his lips together to stifle his smile.

Alice should have just figured this one out on her own.

On her own with Kady, whose dark lipstick has feathered slightly during the day, giving her a slightly undone appearance that sends Alice’s imagination spinning. Her black high-waisted pants clinging to her legs, heeled boots adding to the distraction.

So maybe Alice needs Eliot’s 101 after all. Sue her.

Oblivious to Alice’s distress and Eliot’s amusement, Kady launches into a diatribe against some Pennsylvania hedge boss while she unpacks the boxes of food. She only stops in the process of getting plates, pausing in front of the open cupboard. “Eliot—you staying or going?” she asks.

Eliot catches Alice’s gaze, winking at her as he gets up from the couch. “Actually, I was just about to—”

“Get dinner. Right?” Alice smiles sweetly up at him, tugging him back down. “He’s staying.”

While Kady shrugs and goes on to collect cutlery for three, Alice and Eliot conduct a conversation in the widening of eyes and raising of eyebrows which ends with Eliot throwing his hands into the air and sitting back down. Then, before Kady can return from the kitchen, he leans into Alice’s space, whispering into her ear: “Lesson number one: that was an invitation to a dinner for _two_. If you want her, stop fighting it. Let yourself be seduced.” His gaze is sharp and meaningful on hers as his fingers linger on the back of her neck, trailing the skin above the collar of her shirt.

“Move it, you’re taking up half of this massive couch,” Kady says. Now that Alice is paying attention, she can hear the edge in Kady’s tone that indicates she’s more than a little annoyed at Eliot’s presence.

Luckily, somewhere in between the boquerones and Kady feeding Alice a bite of patatas bravas, the mood shifts towards something a little closer to that cheerful breakfast from a few days ago. Eliot is in full entertainer mode, regaling them with stories of his brief reign in Fillory, and somehow he manages to make Kady laugh instead of annoying her any further.

Once they’ve sated themselves and all that’s left of the takeout is empty cartons and containers, Eliot summons a collection of bottles and glasses from the cupboard and makes a ritual out of pouring two pink Daiquiris, each one delicately decorated with a thin slice of lime. He then recreates the drink, substituting the rum with some fancy type of tonic water, and hands it over to Kady.

She accepts the drink warily, as he may have secretly spiked it anyway.

“I’ve done the whole sober thing,” Eliot says. “Didn’t stick, but the recipes are still good.”

Kady nods at him, seeming a little surprised at his consideration but ultimately grateful. The tendons in Alice’s shoulders ease. She didn’t realize up until this moment that she wants her two friends to get along.

“We should toast,” Alice says, savoring the feeling along with the sweet scent of the cocktail.

Eliot hums in assent. “Take it away.”

She glances around the living room—the three of them sprawled on the fuzzy carpet, sharing food and drinks in an otherwise empty apartment, while the others pair off and explore the nightlife outside of these walls. Kady’s knee is brushing Alice’s thigh, and the look in her eyes suggests they both know it’s on purpose.

Alice raises her glass, Kady and Eliot following suit. “To being single,” Alice says, daringly quirking her lips at Kady.

Eliot scoffs. “I’m not toasting to that. That’s depressing—what are we, 30-something wine moms on Facebook?” He raises himself up on his knees. “To being young and hot and free to fuck whomever we want.”

“Hell, I’ll drink to that,” Kady says, sipping her virgin Daiquiri, her eyes fixed on Alice over the rim of her glass.

It’s not just the alcohol that’s going to Alice’s head, now.

Eliot’s hosting means the liquor is in infinity supply—most likely literally. Alice decides to pace herself after Kady leans in to make a joke at Eliot’s expense and Alice nearly falls into her lap, distracted by those full red lips curling into a private smile. As always, alcohol makes her forget her reservations, all the reasons she wanted to do this the right way. It makes her forget that Eliot is less than two feet away, being a horrible enabler who isn’t helping so much as smirking in Alice’s direction.

Despite the fact that Alice is only on her second glass, Eliot can hold his liquor and Kady isn’t consuming alcohol at all, the mood soon turns to that of a proper house party. With their silencing wards upped for the neighbors, Kady turns up the volume on the speakers and croons along to some 80s ballad Alice only vaguely recognizes as Eliot and Alice watch from the floor, leaning together against the couch. Halfway through the song, Eliot tucks his face into Alice’s neck to whisper, “What are you waiting for?” making Alice realize in quick succession that Kady is singing a love song and that she hasn’t looked away from Alice even once, and also that Eliot’s stubble feels pretty nice against her flushed skin.

The cognitive dissonance proves too much for Alice, who has to lean back to rest her head against the seat of the couch. Her head is spinning a little, and her glass is full again. Drinking more of the sweet liquor doesn’t help cool her down at all. She’s both floating above it all and keenly present in the moment.

The song finishes in a dramatic guitar solo. Breathing hard, Kady sinks down next to Alice again, giggling and bowing theatrically at Eliot’s slow claps, and if Alice didn’t know any better she would think she was drunk.

“Okay, I’m done,” Kady sighs, slumping against Alice’s side. “What’s next?”

Eliot must have downed at least twice as many glasses as Alice, but his eyes are sharp as he fixes his gaze on Alice. “How about we play a game? Truth or dare.”

“We’re not twelve,” Alice says. She doesn’t need to read Eliot’s eyes to know where this is going. Part of her wants him to push, to drag her out of her comfort zone. The other part of her just wants to go to bed and deal with all of this in the morning—or never. Never sounds good too.

Eliot elbow digs into her side. “You’re just scared you’ll lose.”

“You can’t _lose_ truth or dare, Eliot.”

“How about ‘Never have I ever’?” Eliot and Alice both turn to look at Kady. She shrugs, hiking one knee up to her chest. “What? It’s called getting leverage.”

Eliot makes a show of considering Kady’s suggestion. His eyes trail the place where Kady’s leg still rests against Alice’s, his amusement palpable as he nods. “Alright.”

By the time Alice got invited to parties, she was already well into college. But even though she was by all definitions a late-bloomer, she never felt like she missed out on anything. Getting drunk on wine coolers and making out with pimply, fumbling boys in closets wasn’t all that different from getting drunk on shitty beer and having sex with fumbling frat boys in their parents’ bedrooms, as it turned out. Neither seemed worth the effort.

Still, she feels horribly underprepared for this, whatever it is.

Her suspicions are confirmed when Eliot rests his glass against his knee and glances between Alice and Kady. In a slow drawl, he says: “Never have I ever had sex with Penny.”

To her own horror, Alice can feel a blush creeping up her cheeks. This is Eliot’s idea of being a wingman?

After everything that’s happened, the memory of that night with Penny barely crosses her mind anymore. She can’t lie and say it didn’t used to, occasionally, before she started wanting Quentin back. And then once or twice after that, when wanting Quentin back was never quite good enough to make them work. But she’s never discussed Penny with Kady, and it doesn’t seem like the way to start any relationship. Alice and Kady have things in common. A dead lover shouldn’t be one of them.

Kady doesn’t seem all that concerned about it, shaking her head at Eliot and lifting her middle finger in his direction before taking a sip. “Asshole,” she says, without any real heat behind it. Then she turns, smiling when Alice pauses in the middle of taking a sip. “Chill. So you’ve got taste. That’s good to know.”

Eliot hums. “You’re welcome,” he mumbles, topping up Alice’s glass as well as his own.

If Kady hears him at all, she doesn’t show it. Instead she leans her elbow on the couch behind Alice, bringing them in even closer proximity. She’s near enough that Alice can identify the exact shade of green of her eyes, and verify that her skin really is that smooth up close.

It’s bad enough when they’re a few feet apart. This close, Kady’s beauty is so distracting it’s dangerous.

“Alright, my turn. Let’s see.” Kady narrows her eyes and purses her lips. “Never have I ever… had sex with Quentin.”

“Seriously,” Alice laments, before she can stop herself. These types of games sure seemed like more fun in her favorite movies.

Kady shrugs. “He started it.” She points her thumb at Eliot, grinning when he holds up his middle finger in return.

“Well,” Eliot says, raising his eyebrow at Alice and tipping their glasses together. “Cheers.” He downs his glass in one go, then watches Alice as she does the same. “Now that we’ve established our impeccable taste in men”—Kady snorts—“can we lighten the mood, please? Alice?”

In order to buy herself some time, Alice looks down at the remnants of pink in her glass, swirling the liquid around. It’s the perfect blend of sweet and sour, smooth and fresh yet with a sharp undercurrent. It doesn’t taste like any Daiquiri Alice has had before. None of Eliot’s cocktails ever taste like anything she’s tried before.

“Alice, your turn.”

“Hmm?” Eliot and Kady are both staring at her. “Well give me a minute to think,” she mutters.

There’s two ways to play this, Alice figures. Either she can do this the safe way, pick something neutral and perfectly tame she’s never done before and Eliot and Kady probably have, which still leaves plenty of options. Or she can follow that hint of suggestion in Eliot’s gaze and play the game as he intends it. As Alice herself wants.

At some point, Kady has divested herself of her jacket, leaving her only in a dark tank top that dips just low enough to bare the swell of her breasts, a tantalizing hint more than anything truly revealing. She’s so close that her curls brush Alice’s shoulder every time she shifts.

Alice has spent her whole life embarrassed of the things she wants. Maybe it’s time to stop being such a scared little girl and actually live her life.

“Should we switch to water?” Eliot asks with a frown, reaching out to take Alice’s glass away.

Alice shakes her head. “No, I’ve got one.” She leans forward to set her glass down on the table in front of her, before deliberately resting her gaze on Kady. Keeping her voice steady, she says: “Never have I ever had sex with a woman.”

There’s no surprise in Kady’s expression, just a quiet intensity that makes her nearly impossible to look away from. Alice doesn’t even try. She holds Kady’s gaze as Kady raises her glass to her lips and tips it back. “Guilty,” Kady says, a smile flirting with her lips.

That’s not a surprise to Alice either, not after the past few weeks. The only thing that’s surprising is how quickly Kady’s answer fuels Alice’s imagination. There’s nothing _theoretical_ about the way Alice’s brain provides her with images of Kady up against some faceless woman, hands clawing at naked skin, mouths leaving reddened marks. Would she be forceful, Alice wonders, or as gentle as she is with Alice sometimes?

Alice flushes, certain Kady must be able to read her thoughts on her face.

A noise from behind her finally makes her tear her eyes away from Kady. It’s Eliot, putting his empty glass on the table next to Alice’s. For a moment Alice thinks he’s about to leave them to it, now that his work is done. But he only makes himself more comfortable, tilting his head to the side and lazily stretching his legs out in front of him.

“New game,” he drawls, lifting his hand to point at Alice. “I dare you to kiss Kady.”

Alice freezes. “You can’t just make up a new game,” she protests, even though she wants nothing more than to press her lips to Kady’s. But doing so on Eliot’s dare feels… like a cop-out, maybe. Voyeuristic. That must be why her heart is beating double time.

Kady’s intent gaze is sucking up all the air in the room. It makes it difficult to think, and Alice can’t watch both Eliot and Kady at the same time. She feels as if she’s following a tennis ball being volleyed back and forth. Left, right. She wants to bolt, back to the safety of her own room. She wants to stay. Most of all, she wants to kiss Kady’s reddened mouth and feel that ghost of a smile against her skin.

“Do you need me to walk you through it?” Eliot says.

“Uh” is all the intelligent response Alice can manage.

Eliot blinks slowly, his eyes zeroing in on Alice’s parted lips. “Do you _want_ me to?”

Does she? There are so many things Alice wants, and so many things she hasn’t allowed herself to want. Because they were impossible things, or selfish, or simply too daunting to consider.

Kady’s hand comes to rest on Alice’s bare arm. Her grip is warm. Steady. She ducks her head to catch Alice’s eye, her expression now soft and open. And then she takes Alice’s hand in hers and rests it onto the bare skin of her neck, right where Alice can feel her pulse beating.

For a second, Kady’s gaze shifts to something behind Alice, and then there’s the wisp of a breath on the back of Alice’s neck. A hand brushes her hair aside.

“What are you waiting for?” Eliot repeats, no more than a whisper against her ear. His lips ghost the shell of her ear. The heavy weight of his body is pressing her forward, towards Kady—not that there’s much space there to cross in the first place.

Kady doesn’t move, and Alice knows: if she wants this, she’ll have to be the one to take the first step.

It’s not a choice at all. She lists forward, bridging those last few inches. Taking what she wants from Kady’s velvet-soft lips.

Pleasure jolts through Alice at the touch of Kady’s mouth against her own. God, she has missed this—the wanting, the thrill of discovering what the other person likes and finding a rhythm together. For a few moments, Kady lets Alice explore, encouraging her only with the brush of fingers against Alice cheek, as if she’s worried she’ll scare her off. It’s nice and sweet, and shockingly intimate despite the circumstances. Alice doesn’t know how to explain to her that she wants so much more.

More, like Eliot’s lips brushing the nape of her neck. Alice gasps as his hot breath washes over her skin, his hands wandering to her hips. He doesn’t try to move her but simply holds on, anchoring her between his body and Kady’s. It seems to flip a switch in Kady, and suddenly Alice is being pushed back by the force of Kady’s kiss. Now it’s Kady’s turn to explore, as her tongue traces the seam of Alice’s lips and then slides inside.

“Looks like you don’t need much help,” Eliot murmurs. His hands draw circles up her sides, rucking up her shirt.

The reality of the situation hits Alice, then. She draws back, slowly, fighting the overwhelming urge to sink into Kady again.

Their kiss has smudged Kady’s lipstick, leaving nothing but a faded stain of pink around her mouth. Alice did that. Alice is the reason for that darkened look in Kady’s eyes and the deep heaving of her breast. It’s a power rush she’s only ever felt before when mastering a particularly difficult spell. The heat goes straight to her head—among other places.

But—“What are we doing?” Alice asks, trying to focus. It’s difficult when Kady’s gaze keeps straying to her lips and Eliot won’t keep his hands still. She covers his wandering hands with her own and turns. “Seriously,” she says.

Eliot shrugs one shoulder. “We’re having fun.” As if there’s nothing else to it. As if he has threesomes with women all the time. Well, maybe he does. What would she know.

Kady leans forward again to press kisses against the underside of Alice’s jaw. “Fun,” she repeats, humming into the skin beneath Alice’s ear. “I’m up for some fun. Whatever you want.”

This time Alice doesn’t hesitate. Why bother, when her desire is evident? “I want this,” she says.

“Eager,” Kady teases with a smile, dragging a finger down Alice’s neck and over her sternum, before resting her hand on her chest. A soft push, and Alice falls back against Eliot. “And you?” Kady asks, addressing Eliot. “You’re into this?”

Alice has to crane her neck to see Eliot’s response. He’s wearing the same half-smile he’s worn all evening. In lieu of answering, he reaches past Alice to pull Kady closer and kisses her, full on the mouth, without pause. Alice can see their tongues sliding together, Eliot’s hand tangling in Kady’s hair.

She’s never been into the idea of watching, but all of a sudden she understands the appeal. Especially with Kady halfway into her lap, her movements causing a delicious friction.

“Bedroom,” Kady says decisively once she tears her mouth away from Eliot’s. She pushes herself up and drags Alice along with her to her own room. The second they’re inside, Kady crowds Alice against the wall, latching her lips onto Alice’s neck to press dirty, open-mouthed kisses to the sensitive skin. Her hand creeps below Alice’s skirt to rest on her ass, warm and possessive. All Alice can do is moan and rest her head against the wall.

Distantly, she hears the click of the door closing and the rustle of sheets. Reminding her there’s an audience. Suddenly the pleasured sounds she’s making seem like a performance. She couldn’t lie even if she wanted to—the thought of Eliot watching turns her on.

She risks opening her eyes and meets his gaze. He’s wearing a self-satisfied smirk, and Alice can only laugh, high and a little wild at this entire situation. She should’ve known Eliot isn’t a wingman. He’s a fucking liability.

“Mmm,” Kady hums, hands sliding down to the backs of Alice’s thighs. “Bed?”

Alice nods. She feels freer than she remembers being in ages. How high-strung she’s been, overthinking even her relationships as if the world depends on it. And yet, how easy it is to let all that go and let Kady push her onto the edge of the mattress, next to Eliot.

She’s glad she’s sitting down when Kady kneels in front of her to first take off her tights and then her skirt. She’s not sure her knees would’ve held up if she was standing up straight, not with the way Kady is looking at her through her thick lashes, her eyes devouring every inch of skin she bares. Next are Alice’s shirt and bra, until she’s completely naked except for her panties.

“I don’t know what I’m doing, here,” Alice confesses in a husky voice, watching Kady’s hands creep higher up her bare thighs.

Kady halts her movements, her fingertips resting mere inches from where Alice needs her most. Alice resists the urge to moan or beg, but she can’t help the quickening of her breath. Every part of her body hums in anticipation of Kady’s touch. She can feel her pulse throb a desperate beat in between her legs.

“Just relax,” Kady says, her voice smooth like honey. “I’ve got you.”

It’s tempting to let Kady have her way, to lie back and see where that glittering darkness in her eyes takes them, but—Alice shakes her head. She wants more than that.

She turns to Eliot. “Show me?”

Eliot’s answering grin can only be described as ‘indecent’. “You only had to ask, sweetheart.” He grasps her chin to press a quick, open-mouthed kiss against her lips. Then he maneuvers her to stand in front of Kady, instructing her to take off Kady’s tank top—“slowly”—and lick a stripe along the skin she’s bared.

It should be silly. Alice knows how to undress someone. Yet somehow, between Eliot’s soft encouragements and Kady’s quiet observation, it’s anything but. Alice unbuttons Kady’s pants and rolls them down her thighs, still at the agonizingly slow pace Eliot has set. It feels as if she’s torturing herself as well as Kady.

There’s a limit to Kady’s patience, because she hauls Alice up and for a moment there’s nothing but Kady’s kisses stealing the breath from Alice’s lungs. Her lace bra brushes against Alice’s bare skin, the friction from the rough material enough to make her nipples harden. Heat pools in Alice’s gut, sliding lower when she feels Eliot press against her, the metal of his belt buckle cold against her lower back.

A hand slips between her legs to rub at her over the flimsy fabric of her underwear. Then there’s the press of fingers, pushing the fabric against her as Kady’s teeth graze at Alice’s lips. Alice arches her back, rocking forward on the tips of her feet. She’s faintly aware she’s begging, but she’s too turned on to be embarrassed about it. She only wants more—more of the sweet pressure, more of Kady’s slick lips.

Instead, the hand between her legs disappears, and then, maddeningly, Kady pulls back as well. Alice tries to chase her, and when Kady presses her fingertips against Alice’s lips, Alice slips the fingers into her mouth. Very faintly, Alice detects a hint of garlic.

“I used to think you were such a good girl, back at Brakebills,” Kady murmurs, watching her fingers slide between Alice’s lips.

Alice feels more than hears Eliot’s laughter. “She had us all fooled.” He brings his hands up to her breasts, circling her taut nipples without touching them. It’s so maddening, Alice nearly misses his next words. “Do you want to taste her?”

“God yes,” Alice breathes. Right now, there’s not a single part of Kady that Alice doesn’t want.

She watches Kady crawl onto the bed on all fours, ass swaying with the movement in a way that must be deliberate. The black lace matches her bra, and neither leaves much to the imagination. “Come over here,” Kady says as she settles against the headboard. She wriggles out of her panties and spreads her legs to the width of Alice’s shoulders. Then she beckons Alice with a crook of her finger. “Closer.”

Alice comes willingly. Behind her, she can still feel Eliot’s presence, watching and waiting for Alice’s command.

“Show me,” she asks again.

Her mind takes note of the slight hitch in Kady’s breath as Eliot spreads her legs wider. Motioning for Alice to kneel in the space between Kady’s knees, he then settles behind her, the silky material of his shirt sliding against her bare back. His hand covers hers, guiding her fingers.

“Right there, baby,” Kady murmurs.

Eliot teeth graze Alice’s shoulder. “You heard the lady.”

With Eliot’s lips against Alice’s ear, his hand covering hers, Eliot tells her all the ways to make Kady gasp and moan. Soft circular motions turn into a rapid hard press, and then Kady’s hand lands in Alice’s hair to guide her head down, all the way down to her heat. Salt covers her tongue, different from her own taste. In the background, muffled by Kady’s thighs, Eliot’s incessant directions and Kady’s encouraging groans merge into one.

Alice feels the moment Kady comes. Her thighs clench and her hips buck forward, up and against Alice’s mouth, and Alice feels a surge of pride. She wants to be good at this. She wants to make Kady whimper, moan, come.

“So good,” Kady says as she comes down. “You’re so good.” Her fingers card through Alice’s hair, hooking behind her neck to pull her up for a kiss. “Next time,” she whispers against Alice’s lips, “next time, I’m gonna ride you.”

Alice can only nod.

Then Kady slides down so her head is on the mattress and directs Alice to kneel over her, Alice’s hips to Kady’s shoulders. Alice’s panties are soaked, clinging to her when Kady hooks her fingers in the waistband and drags them down her legs. She’s been in a desperate state of arousal since the first taste of Kady’s lips, and when Kady slides a finger into her, she finds no resistance.

The cool air combined with Kady’s movements sends Alice spinning higher. Meanwhile, Eliot sucks kisses into her neck and spine—always with the hint of teeth chasing his lips. And then Kady sinks her nails into Alice’s ass and drags her down, on top of her hot mouth.

Alice whimpers, throws her head back against Eliot’s shoulder. Kady wastes no time with teasing, licking and exploring and dragging desperate sounds from Alice’s throat, sounds Alice has never made before. Sounds she didn’t think she _could_ make. She tries to keep still, to let Kady draw pleasure from her the way she wants, but it’s too much. Behind her, she can feel Eliot’s hard length press against her, and she’s just lucid enough to bring her hand down, to unbuckle his belt and slide her hand inside to wrap around him.

She tilts her head back. Their mouths find each other in a frenzied rush. “Please,” Alice begs, not even sure what she’s asking for except more, always more. Suspended between Kady and Eliot, she’s never felt more out of control and yet desperately, achingly alive.

It feels like hours, and still she never wants it to end. Ever on the precipice, she holds on until she can’t anymore, until her thighs are trembling and she has to lean back and ride out the sensation of Kady’s tongue, sweeping up and inside of her, unspooling her. Pleasure burns through her like fire, tightening her muscles and then leaving her entirely boneless in its wake.

She’s grateful for Eliot’s arms holding her up as he gently lowers her to the bed, collapsing next to her onto the mattress with a sigh.

Once the euphoric haze has cleared from her mind, Alice turns her head to find Kady looking at her. She isn’t sure what she’s expecting to find there. Heat, arrogance, maybe even some wariness. If she looks closely, she can detect all of those in Kady’s bright green eyes. Most of all though, overpowering anything else, is a soft affection. Kady brings her hand to Alice’s forehead, brushing damp strands of hair behind her ear, then leans closer. Not to kiss her. Only to rest her head a few inches from Alice’s face, noses nearly brushing. “Next time,” she says.

She doesn’t continue. _Next time_. Alice understands—no more words are needed.

“Next time,” she whispers back.

If she concentrates, she can feel the echo of Eliot’s smile spread against the nape of her neck.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [Tumblr](http://queennsansa.tumblr.com).


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